*I received a free copy of All Things New from via Netgalley. This has in no way influenced my voluntary review, which is honest and unbiased *
All Things New on 1 August 2017 Pages: 328
Jessa has always felt broken inside, but she’s gotten very good at hiding it. No one at school knows about the panic attacks, the therapy that didn't help, the meds that haven’t worked. But when a severe accident leaves her with a brain injury and visible scars, Jessa’s efforts to convince the world that she’s okay finally crumble—now she looks as shattered as she feels.
Fleeing from her old life in Los Angeles, Jessa moves to Colorado to live with her dad, where she meets Marshall, a boy whose kindness and generous heart slowly draw Jessa out of her walled-off shell and into the broken, beautiful, real world—a place where souls get hurt just as badly as bodies, and we all need each other to heal.
ALL THINGS NEW is a love story about perception and truth, physical and emotional pain, and the messy, complicated people we are behind the masks we put on for the world, perfect for fans of ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES and THE FAULT IN OUR STARS.
All Things New deals with a character who has suffered from panic attacks ever since her parents’ divorce.
Story:
All Things New is an important book, as it deals with panic and mental disorders in teenagers. There were some aspects of the book that I found extremely good, and others I could have done without.
The ‘angel’ aspect did not work for me. Nor did the fact that the psychiatrists in this book were all smirking, pill-pushing individuals. I also think I would have liked it more if the group therapy was actually group therapy, not a group of teens just sharing among themselves, without adult supervision.
Also, it seems more than a little flimsy to me that ‘love’ can help Jessa get better – this could be a problem for people who do suffer from panic attacks.
I did appreciate the fact that there are parents present in All Things New. It’s important sometimes to see responsible family situations.
Characters:
Jessa had some techniques to deal with her panic attacks, but not all of them helped. After a car accident, she moved to her dad’s place in Colorado, to get away from everything that had made things difficult to her.
Hannah is Jessa’s new best friend. A music prodigy who is stressed out, and sad about taking second-seat to her brother’s illness.
Marshall is Hannah’s brother. He has a hole in his heart, and is strangely happy about that.
Writing style :
First person present tense from Hannah’s perspective, but with third person present tense when the spotlight is on other characters. The dialogues were rapid, and made getting to know the characters easier.
Feels :
I was a bit frustrated, to be honest. All Things New could have been a great story about teens who struggle with mental illnesses, but it felt like it didn’t take mental illness seriously.
On a clear day, you can see past downtown and almost all the way to the beach from here. But tonight the sky is muddy with haze. The skyline looks as if someone has wiped parts of it away, the buildings fading into a brown blur, the furthest ones totally out of sight. It’s eerie.
Every part of me aches. My brain feels to big for my skull. I shuffle toward the bathroom. There is a towel hanging over the mirror, tucked in tight at the sides. Its presence there, the fact that someone felt the need to hang it, sucks the air from my chest.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
About Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms
Linda is an English as foreign language teacher and has a Master's degree in English Language and Literature. She's an avid reader, blogger, compulsive one-clicker and a genre omnivore. Ever since she learnt how to read she has been seen with a book or two in her hands everywhere she goes.
Twitter: ailynk
a little bit disappointed eh? mental health stories aren’t easy to write unless you have walked ten miles in that shoe i think
Yeah, it just was a bit off to me… Not only do I think mental health stories are really hard to write, but the way there wasn’t a single ‘good’ psychiatrist in there made me cringe, too!
I was just going through my books yesterday and decided to move this to the donate pile. Looks like I made the right choice because the things you mention would bother me as well.
For What It’s Worth
Huh… that’s a weird coincidence, Karen.
These types of books are kinda a hit or miss for me. Sorry it didn’t work for you either.
They’re hit or miss for me, too, and sadly, it appears more miss…
oh wow…I can imagine how frustrating this book could be. I think its important when dealing with tough issues, that its taken seriously. Sorry it was a not so good book for you.
Yeah, it really should be taken seriously, and I think for some teens, it’s truly necessary to read about characters who have a mental illness. It helps demystify it, you know? But the solutions offered weren’t satisfactory to me.
I might have been able to deal with most of the aspects of the story but not taking mental illness seriously is not one of them. Too bad. I think I would have been frustrated as well.
Yeah, it just felt like the solutions that were offered were a bit too easy, you know?
Twitter: Mollykatie112
Yes, I agree with you. Mental illness should be taken seriously. I can’t imagine group therapy without a therapist to lead the group-without that it’s just teens hanging out. This won’t be one for me to read. Thanks for your honest review!
I know, right? Plus who would make sure they all understood how important it was to keep everything that happened there confidential?
This one sounds like it has quite a few problems. I think I will pass on this one. I hope your next read is better!
Yeah, it sure did, Carole 🙁
Twitter: Mlsimmons
Sorry to hear that this book didn’t seem to take mental illness seriously enough. It is such an important topic, especially for teenagers. I also think it was weird that the one kid was happy to have a hole in his heart. Was that because of the attention he got (kinda like a munchausen, but with an actual issue. Is there a term for that?). Great review.
Yeah, it was partly because of the attention he got, and while in some ways that’s understandable, it also seems really weird… No idea if there’s a term for that, though 🙂